The present invention relates to a machine for crimping an electrical terminal to a conductor and fully inserting the crimped terminal into the housing of a partially assembled connector by means of a housing feed mechanism, and more particularly to a retractable cam carried by the ram for actuating the housing feed mechanism only during the ram return stroke.
Terminal applicator machines are widely used in the industry to attach electrical terminals to conductors. These terminal applicators are typically secured in a press which supplies the power and motion that operates the applicator. The applicator may be used manually where an operator inserts an already prepared wire end into the crimping area between a crimping tool and an anvil containing a terminal and holds the wire in place while activating the press to complete the termination. Alternatively, the terminal applicator and associated press may be attached to a host machine, such as a lead maker, where the prepared wire end is automatically presented to the applicator tooling for termination. Machines for terminating wires to terminals of partially assembled connectors typically feed a strip of the partially assembled connectors along a guide rail into a workstation where one of the terminals is positioned over an anvil. The wire, its end having been previously stripped of insulation, is positioned in the workstation and the apparatus is activated to cause crimping tools to engage and crimp the tabs of the terminal onto the end of the wire. The crimping tools are then withdrawn and a housing feed tool then slides the partially assembled insulated housing over the crimped portion of the terminal to complete the assembly of the connector. Such an apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,557,048, which issued Dec. 10, 1985 to Cordeiro. This apparatus performs both the crimping and pushing functions in a single workstation. The wire is securely clamped so that after the terminal is crimped onto the conductor, the upper crimp tooling can be withdrawn and the insulated housing pushed over the terminal. Another example of a similar apparatus is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,979,291 which issued Dec. 25, 1990 to Phillips et al. This apparatus also performs both the crimping and pushing functions in a single workstation. Both of these examples, however, utilize air cylinder actuated housing feed tools to push the insulated housing over the terminal and complete the assembly. Such machines require significant setup time to adjust the timing and assure that the pushing operation is complete before the next cycle is begun.
What is needed is a machine that crimps the wire and terminal, then slides the insulated housing over the crimped terminal to its fully assembled position by means of a mechanism actuated by the ram during its return stroke, thereby reducing the required set up time and, during operation, assuring that the assembly is completed prior to beginning the next crimping cycle.
A machine is disclosed for terminating a conductor to an electrical terminal of a partially assembled connector having an insulating housing wherein the terminal is positioned in a constriction within the insulated housing and the terminal tabs and crimping barrel are extending outside the housing. The conductor is first crimped to the electrical terminal and then the insulated housing is pushed over the crimped electrical terminal to complete the assembly thereof. The machine includes a frame and an anvil supported by the frame arranged to receive the partially assembled connector. A ram carrying crimping tooling is in sliding engagement with the frame and arrange to undergo reciprocating motion in a crimping direction into crimping engagement with the terminal and in an opposite return direction away from the terminal. A housing feed mechanism is coupled to the frame and effects the pushing of the insulating housing over the terminal. A first cam is coupled to the ram and arranged to engage and move a projection of the housing feed mechanism to effect the pushing of the insulated housing over the terminal to a fully assembled position. The first cam is operable only during movement of the ram in the return direction.
An embodiment of the invention will now be described by way of example with reference to the following drawings.